Florida and others lead for Homer early on

The running back class is not huge in the state of Florida for the class of 2016, but running back Travis Homer (5-9, 187, West Palm Beach, FL Oxbridge Academy) is quickly rising towards the top of the class as far as running backs go.

On Saturday Homer visited Florida, arriving in Gainesville without an offer from the Gators, but he left with good news after meeting with the coaching staff.

“It was a good visit, I liked it,” Homer said. “The head coach [Jim McElwain] was the coach that gave me the offer today. We was in his office talking about school and how it would be playing in his offense. He was telling about the rotation they are going to use and then he said that I had the offer.”

McElwain is known for having produced good running backs in college and he explained his theory to Homer on how he keeps everyone healthy and how he plays them.

“He said that he believes in a running back rotation to keep everyone’s legs fresh,” Homer said. “He told me that he sees me as a one of his running backs in his offense. I actually liked how he moved the running backs around a lot during practice. They split them out too.”

Homer has been talking to the Gators a lot lately, but Saturday was the first time he’s been able to talk to some of the new staff, including his position coach, Tim Skipper.

“It was my first time meeting coach Skipper and I liked him, he seemed like a pretty cool guy,” Homer said. “When we split into positional meetings he showed me what he was teaching the running backs that are there now. He was going over some of the plays with me.”

The highlight of the trip for Homer came when he was on campus tour and got to see all of the facilities.

“I really liked the equipment they have in the training room, that can help you get back on the field quickly,” Homer said. “I liked the weight room and how they have the turf in the weight room so you can do some sprints and running inside.”

Homer didn’t have many offers before his standout performance at the Nike Sparq combine but that performance has raised some eyebrows. Homer now has an impressive list of suitors and a tough decision to make.

“Florida is definitely one of the tops on my list,” Homer said. “Florida State, Miami, UCF and Kentucky are also high on my list. I plan to go to FAU on the 28th but I want to come see a game at Florida or come in the summer.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Homer likes Florida and McElwain early on but Miami just offered on Saturday so we will have to see how he likes the hometown Hurricanes when he visits them later this spring. Homer is one of the few offers the Gators have handed out at the running back position so that shows how much Florida likes him

About Andrew Spivey

Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.

The running back class is not huge in the state of Florida for the class of 2016, but running back Travis Homer (5-9, 187, West Palm Beach, FL Oxbridge Academy) is quickly rising towards the top of the class as far as running backs go.

On Saturday Homer visited Florida, arriving in Gainesville without an offer from the Gators, but he left with good news after meeting with the coaching staff.

“It was a good visit, I liked it,” Homer said. “The head coach [Jim McElwain] was the coach that gave me the offer today. We was in his office talking about school and how it would be playing in his offense. He was telling about the rotation they are going to use and then he said that I had the offer.”

McElwain is known for having produced good running backs in college and he explained his theory to Homer on how he keeps everyone healthy and how he plays them.

“He said that he believes in a running back rotation to keep everyone’s legs fresh,” Homer said. “He told me that he sees me as a one of his running backs in his offense. I actually liked how he moved the running backs around a lot during practice. They split them out too.”

Homer has been talking to the Gators a lot lately, but Saturday was the first time he’s been able to talk to some of the new staff, including his position coach, Tim Skipper.

“It was my first time meeting coach Skipper and I liked him, he seemed like a pretty cool guy,” Homer said. “When we split into positional meetings he showed me what he was teaching the running backs that are there now. He was going over some of the plays with me.”

The highlight of the trip for Homer came when he was on campus tour and got to see all of the facilities.

“I really liked the equipment they have in the training room, that can help you get back on the field quickly,” Homer said. “I liked the weight room and how they have the turf in the weight room so you can do some sprints and running inside.”

Homer didn’t have many offers before his standout performance at the Nike Sparq combine but that performance has raised some eyebrows. Homer now has an impressive list of suitors and a tough decision to make.

“Florida is definitely one of the tops on my list,” Homer said. “Florida State, Miami, UCF and Kentucky are also high on my list. I plan to go to FAU on the 28th but I want to come see a game at Florida or come in the summer.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Homer likes Florida and McElwain early on but Miami just offered on Saturday so we will have to see how he likes the hometown Hurricanes when he visits them later this spring. Homer is one of the few offers the Gators have handed out at the running back position so that shows how much Florida likes him

Andrew Spiveyandrewspiveyandrew.spivey1987@yahoo.comAuthorAndrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.GatorCountry.com